Half My Life
by belasgrl
Summary: A Halloween Tree (1993) fanfiction. As 25 year-old Felicity is on her deathbed, Moundshroud shows her things about her life that she needs to be reminded of. Tw for suicide and death. Rated T, just to be safe.


As she laid in bed, she looked over at the uncovered window and stared at the beautiful full moon in all her glory. She breathed a sigh. The pain was fading; she began feeling nothing.

At that moment, she heard a voice. "It's time to go."

She looked to her left and saw a tall, thin man who seemed ancient. He wore a cape.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important; the rent is due, and I've come to collect. It's time for you to pay up."

"I have no money. I'm sorry," she said, getting up.

"Ha! Then, what will you give, hm? After all, what do you have of value that you could give to me?"

She thought about his question, and after a long time, responded quietly. "Absolutely nothing."

"Nothing of value, you say?"

"I'm broke. I don't have my own home. I'm sick and useless." She looked defeated. "Why do you ask, anyway? Who are you to demand anything of me?"

"I am Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. You may call me Mr. Moundshroud." He handed her a card. She didn't even have time to look over it before he said, "There's no time. The rent is due. Pay up! Pay up!"

She got annoyed. "I told you, I have nothing of value! I AM NOTHING OF VALUE!"

There wasn't ever a stillness quite as still as the one that took place in that very room at that moment. Mr. Moundshroud mumbled, displeased, "That's not right. Untrue, is what it is." He frowned, then held out his hand. "Nothing of value, hm? You don't realize your worth. Let me show you."

She had no reason to trust this man or her own senses, but she had nothing to lose even though she didn't know what to expect. Reaching out, her fingers touched his, and he gently but firmly grabbed her hand. In that moment, the hospital room morphed and twisted, changing into a more familiar place, one she recognized as her best friend's place. She saw her hang up the phone with tears in her eyes and watched her break down.

"Felicity..." She said, heartbroken to see her friend in this state.

"She's dead," the friend said, over and over, growing louder each time she uttered this, until she was wailing. Inconsolable, she cried out in agony. "I never told her how much she meant to me! Did she know? I'm so sorry, Felicity! I should have done something to prevent this!"

"I'm...dead?" Felicity turned to Moundshroud, perplexed.

"Almost. Your time is growing short."

Something in his voice sounded odd. She asked, "How can I make this easier for her to deal with?"

"You can't."

The woman pleaded with tears in her eyes. "Please. There must be something I can do."

"Perhaps there is something." The man snapped his fingers. Immediately, Felicity found herself in a white room with millions of paragraphs of writing scrolling up the walls, ceiling, and floors. She recognized these words as her own work.

"Where are we?"

"This is the home you have built. You were the architect, nameless in a sea of other architects."

She went to a wall and touched one of the paragraphs, which glowed a lavender hue. This action caused her to hear whispers of voices unfamiliar to her.

"This is very uplifting," one said.

"I can get through the day because of this," stated another.

She touched another paragraph. It also glowed, and she heard more whispers.

"Thank you for brightening my day."

"I appreciate your kindness."

"You have a good heart."

Again and again, she ran to the words, touching them, remembering them, and hearing voices echoing in the room until they were as loud as thunder. They were filled with gratitude and hope, and her heart was overcome with emotion until she could bear it no longer. She fell to her knees, and all at once, the room grew hushed. She looked up and saw Moundshroud at a distance, watching her with interest.

"Nothing of value, indeed," he scoffed, though his eyes had a soft expression.

"I remember writing these messages to people."

"And what good came of it?"

"Plenty, or so they said. I'd see that someone online was depressed or having a hard time, and I'd offer my sympathy and encouragement."

"A waste of time," he mocked.

"It was not. I did my best to do what I could when I could. There's so much misery in the world. Of course, you would know that, wouldn't you?"

Moundshroud raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, I do know that. You are one of the ones who ran away from the misery, but you can't keep running. Time is short; you made sure of that. It makes my job more difficult. You couldn't have waited, could you? You just had to make me come early. It threw off the whole schedule."

"I'm sorry my pain inconvenienced you."

"I wouldn't put it that way. Not everyone can bear pain well. It's not your fault; it just complicated things."

She nodded, first looking at all the glowing, moving words, then back at her guide. "Why did you show me all this?"

"Why do you think?"

Felicity paused. "To make me see that I had an impact on people, that my existence wasn't a waste."

"You solved the puzzle." Moundshroud whirled around, his cape wrapping around him. A gust of wind threw the woman backwards, and she searched in vain for something to grab onto. Felicity closed her eyes tightly, waiting to fall, but instead, she felt the wind cease and her body still standing. Opening her eyes, she found herself back in the hospital, staring at her own body in the bed.

Moundshroud stood beside her. "Your time is almost up." He looked at his watch, anxiously. "I have a busy schedule to keep."

She hesitantly held his hand. "I appreciate what you did. You didn't have to show me those things. I am grateful that you helped me feel better about passing on."

The man did not move his hand. He seemed uncomfortable with her last sentence and mumbled, "It's too soon for you to stay with me. Offer me something of value."

"In exchange for?"

"An extension."

"I can't wait too long for you."

"I know, my dear, but you've still got work to do here."

She waited a moment, thinking. "I'd gladly give you half of my life."

"Half? That's a steep price." Moundshroud was surprised at her offer.

"That will give me enough time to do all that I need to do. Will the extra time allow someone else to stay longer?"

"It will balance things out. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely. I need to be with you as soon as I can, after I finish my life's work."

"Very well. Then, let us close the deal." He held her hand up and kissed it.

At that moment, she woke up in her own body, weakened. Her vision was blurry, but her hearing was perfect. She heard Moundshroud say, as if from far away, "You will see me again soon."

She smiled, satisfied with her decision. As soon as she was well enough to leave the hospital, she had to write her greatest book and perform as many acts of kindness as she could before being reunited with the one she looked forward to seeing the most.


End file.
